A report from the Newcastle Herald states that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has warned about the future of Tomago Aluminium Smelter, suggesting it could be at risk if it is forced to rely solely on renewable energy for baseload power.
Mr Dutton visited Cougar Mining Equipment in Tomago earlier today, where he argued that nuclear energy is the only viable way to reduce industrial power costs and maintain large-scale employers in the Hunter.
Opposition Leader Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have been on the campaign trail since Friday when the PM announced a federal election will be held on Saturday 3 May 2025.
Energy policy has already become a central focus of the election campaign, with the respective policies of the two major parties projected by pundits to have a major impact when the nation votes.
While the incumbent Labor party policy looks to continue decarbonisation efforts by supporting the research and development of renewable energy, the Liberal National Coalition has expressed concern that renewables will not support the growth of industry, instead arguing that nuclear power is the way forward.
“If what the company wants is reliable power to keep the furnaces running, you can’t have intermittent power cutting in and out. It’s a disaster for the production line and destroys the whole sector,” Dutton said, as reported by the Newcastle Herald.
